


The Swordsman and the Black Beast

by minnemouse_BEANS



Series: The Story of Monsters and Dragons [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Blood, Murder, Swearing, and this is in fact part of a series. the story isn't over, ryder has a pottymouth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:22:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27073420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnemouse_BEANS/pseuds/minnemouse_BEANS
Series: The Story of Monsters and Dragons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975909
Kudos: 1





	The Swordsman and the Black Beast

“Welcome to Sally’s Armory and Bakery, what can I do for you today?”

“I have an order,” said the tiny blonde at the counter, “for Annabeth. It’s a dagger, a sword, and a box of cookies,” she elaborated whilst pulling out a credit card. Percy remembered Tyson telling him about the order, talking about how he got to design another sword specific to someone, like Percy’s Riptide.

“Dragon fighter?” he asked casually, getting the order. He tried not to let the  _ frustration _ that that was a question seep into his voice too much. Dragon fighting was a cruel practice that many teens and young adults fell victim too, despite there having to be a less primitive way of solving the dragon issue. Percy was admittedly not sure there  _ was _ an issue.

“Starting class, actually,” Annabeth said as he swiped her card.

Every citizen of Olympus was required by law to train to fight dragons, starting the first week of August. It was a hard course that lasted six months. You were then required to fight dragons for a minimum of two and a half years, permitting you did not have an injury or otherwise medical condition force you to retire early. The law had been put in place ten years ago. 

Percy was dreading it.

Annabeth probably didn’t want to hear his spiel so he handed her her bag and wished her a nice day.

She thanked him and went off. 

After walking out of town and up to his mother’s fiance’s property, Percy was hovering around the forges after the shop closed, like he usually did. Not talking to his brother and friends who worked there, but watching, fascinated by the way they worked steadily, fixing things he couldn’t see fault in. Percy was pretty okay, but Tyson, Beckendorf, and Leo treated the craft like an art form.

Tyson had been exempt from dragon training and fighting due to an issue he had with his knee. Beckendorf had already made it through. Leo was a year younger than Percy. 

“You should head home,” Beckendorf said after a little while, “your mom has your dog and the two of you are going to want to get acquainted before you have to train with her.  _ Trust me. _ ” 

That was another thing Percy didn’t like. The dragon hunting hounds were bred specifically to hunt,  _ you guessed it _ , dragons. They were meant to be a partner during a fight and were, thus, huge and sturdy. A handful of kids who displayed good working-with-animals skills were selected to have one each year, they got them just before the dogs reached adulthood, and kept the dogs well after the two and a half years were up. 

Percy made his way home. 

His mother was a kind woman. She knew he didn’t want any of this and she understood why. She agreed with him as to why, for the most part. She and her fiance maintained the popular belief that dragons were monsters.

She was in the kitchen talking to her fiance, a woman named Marcia, when Percy got there. 

Percy looked a great deal like his mother, same hair, thick, straight, and black, worn long, usually in a braid or bun. Same dark green eyes and warm, light brown skin. He was taller than her now, at nearly six foot three and not quite done. She was more muscular from more time spent in the forges. 

Marcia was a short woman, round and soft-looking, with light brown hair and brown eyes. 

Percy greeted his mother with a peck on the cheek and his stepmother-to-be with a hug. 

“I’m sure someone told you that your hound has arrived?” his mom asked. 

“Yeah, where is she?” he responded. They both knew that he didn’t want Mrs. O’leary, because Percy didn’t much like the idea of throwing an animal at another animal for fear that said animal would kill him. He didn’t have to make things harder on everyone around him, including his dog, by bitching about it and digging his heels in. That would make everyone miserable, and potentially get the dog, or someone else,  _ killed. _

“I put her in your room.” 

Percy went upstairs and greeted the huge, black dog. She looked a lot like an Irish wolfhound, but with a smoother coat and longer ears.

The first week of August hit, and Percy and Mrs. O’leary (which Percy had not named her) were sent off to training. They were introduced to a wide array of people, including, but not limited to, Annabeth from the shop. 

Percy wandered over to her little area, more out of it being a quiet corner to sit in and catch his breath than it being because he recognized her. 

Mrs. O’leary tugged a little at her leash when a guy who’d petted her a little forcefully (and made some interesting comments to Percy about his hair, as Percy’s was waistlength. Something that would not get him in trouble, as hair length was not a regulated thing. The only real rules to appearance outside of the actual uniform were that you weren't allowed dyed hair, piercings, or tattoos, as those were dispermitted until you were eighteen, aside from your team tattoo.). The guy stopped and grinned and Percy could see his dog start to growl and prep for attack. 

“Hey, girl,” he said to her, “ _ chill _ .”

Annabeth snapped her head up from where she was sharpening a pocket knife and said, “I have a  _ weapon _ in my hand,  _ asshole _ .” 

“No shit,” he commented, “I’m talking to my dog, though, this area has her spooked, and that guy who just walked by wasn’t helping. Damn nice blade, by the way.” Percy may not be the best in the forges, but he could recognize quality work. 

She glanced around and slightly under the table at Mrs. O’leary and visibly relaxed, “Thanks,” she said, “my dad bought it for me as a parting gift. Why are you sitting over here?” 

“Mostly to give her a chance to rest some, this was a not-as-loud spot, and she’s not used to big crowds.” He pondered that for a moment. “I probably should have predicted something like this in hindsight. Maybe seen if I couldn’t get her into a foodcourt a coupl’a times.” 

“I have never seen anyone attempt that, if it comforts you.” 

“Fair enough,” he paused, and then said, “Hey, how’s that sword and dagger working out.” 

“Oh, yeah, actually really good. You undercharge, I assure you, I’ve seen stuff  _ half  _ that quality get sold at a  _ much _ higher price,” she told him. Percy knew that. His brother had made his favorite weapon, a sword named Riptide. Percy knew he wouldn’t be using it much, as guns were more practical.

“My mom’s gonna be happy to hear that. With me not home she’s going to be a person short for a little while, and it’s a family business, save for my brother’s and mine’s two friends who work the forges.” 

“That’s rough.” 

Percy opened his mouth to agree, but he saw the dude from before walking over with something in his hands. The dude in question was likely on his last year of mandated dragon fighting, now that Percy was really paying him attention. Probably was taking an optional advanced course. 

“That’s a facial expression,” Annabeth commented as the dude continued walking, with what Percy had figured out was an empty chip bag, passing several trash cans to dump it in the trash can at Percy and Annabeth’s table. He then pulled out his phone and began checking it. 

Mrs. O’leary was not pleased with this. Baring her teeth and pressing up against Percy’s leg. 

“Hey, girl,  _ chill out. _ ” Percy decided not to use her name for this, not wanting to give it to someone willing to torment her. She relaxed marginally. “Hey,” Percy addressed the guy now, “ what’s your name?”

“Luke Castellan,” he said, evidently pleased to be acknowledged. “Slayer of six dragons.”

Six wasn’t an impressive number, but it was around the time people started getting big heads. 

“Hey, Luke Castellan, slayer of six dragons,  _ fuck off _ ,” Percy said calmly.

Annabeth snickered. Luke lunged, grabbing her and shoving her against the wall. Mrs. O’leary let out a real growl. Before, she could do anything, however, the tiny girl who had come into Percy’s store, jabbed the dude in the eye. It looked like it hurt, and he stormed off. 

Six months of training passed, and Percy and Annabeth had wound up good friends, and actually a team, which meant that they had picked eachother to be their hunting partner, and designed a tattoo to that effect. It was a small undetailed trident, mostly because they both liked mythology and wanted something that they could turn into something else, something not so tied to this  _ hell _ later. 

Most kids, by contrast went big, as it was the first time any of them had been allowed to have any kind of body modification. 

Percy and Annabeth’s team tattoo was also a testament to the fact that neither of them had known eachother very long when they’d gotten it. Most teams had selected eachother young, a childhood best friend, the way most kids were encouraged by families to sit in on forges, or shoot Nerf guns (and eventually airsoft and BB guns), or go camping, or take lots of first aid classes. 

The way his mom had been working with him on swords since he was ten. 

_ They had been prepping for this since they were five years old. _

When the time came for them to put their skills into action, they took flown in on a helicopter, along with their gear some of which had been given to them and some of which they’d gotten themselves, and parked themselves on the small island that had been assigned to them for the duration of their two and a half years.

They were led to the house that was half-underground (architecture that definitely accounted for dragons), given a map of the island, and left there to figure the rest out for themselves. 

They’d been assured that they’d have enough canned and boxed goods to last the full time, along with an indoor garden to account for fruits and vegetables. Maintaining such a garden had been a skill required to pass the course, along with caring for any wounds that wouldn’t kill you, hunting (food) and fishing, and making things in the forge that was a little ways away (which Percy was better at than he’d thought). Effectively, they were supposed to live here for the next two and a half years or die. No contact with the outside world. 

They settled in. 

Within a couple days, Percy had Mrs. O’leary hot on the trail of what looked like one dragon, judging by the tracks, with Annabeth walking to the side and slightly behind him, watching for any sneak attacks. 

They’d been assigned a special case. There were several documented dragons on this island, but usually this was a nesting site. The dragons would hatch from their eggs and within a few months the cubs would move on to the bigger island nearby, for the sake of more space. 

There were, however, two very elusive dragons on this island, and given that Percy and Annabeth had scored top of their class, they’d been assigned the task of catching them, along with taking out as many others as they could get. 

Finally, Percy, Mrs. O’leary, and Annabeth caught up with the dragon. 

A  _ blue-lipped indigo dragon _ , a name that spoke nothing of the dragons ability to spit both ice and boiling water. A beautiful monster. 

It had just taken flight, it was soaring through the air, a testament to the sheer power that it held. Its strength and speed. 

Percy shot it. 

It went down. 

And Percy felt like absolute  _ shit. _

They tracked the thing down, and Percy began doing guesswork for what he’d fill the paperwork out to say. 

Fifteen or so feet long, black with a purplish blue sheen, male, green claws, green eyes, slit pupil, about fifteen years old. 

About fifteen years old. Percy’s age. This type of dragon, most dragons actually, aged the same as humans. He’d shot down a beautiful creature, a young one, still exhibiting the bands indicative of a baby, faint as they were.

As Percy stood there starting, he understood two things. A) the dragon wasn’t the monster here, and B) Percy was just a kid. Like, hell, he’d brought his damn stuffed bunny with him for this. 

He began scanning the dragon, trying to figure out where his three shots had hit. Two in the tail, one in the side. Non-lethal. Minor damage to one wing. The stabilizing right fin of the dragon was gone, which was likely the reason for the crash. 

Hold up,  _ non-lethal. _

Oh,  _ fuck. _ They were  _ fucked. _

Percy began backing up and directed his dog to back away, which she did, thankfully, as the dragon struck. 

It ripped up Percy’s leg, but thankfully not severing anything, flinging the bloody mess into a rock as Percy fell onto his back, which resulted in Mrs. O’leary howling for Annabeth’s help, Annabeth, having gone to search a little ways off. As the dragon moved over top of him, staring him right in the face, Percy began scooting away.

“ _ OH SHIT _ !” exclaimed Annabeth, right behind Percy and Mrs. O’leary. 

“ANNABETH!” yelled Percy. “GRAB MY DOG AND GET ME A MED KIT! HE GOT ME! FUCKED UP MY LEG! IF YOU SHOOT HIM, YOU’LL NEVER GET HIM OFF ME IN TIME!”

“Okay, yeah,” she said, no longer yelling, but still loudly, “don’t die.”

When Annabeth left with Mrs. O’leary, it occurred to Percy that he was entirely unlikely to survive this situation. He’d known better than to get that close. 

He swore softly to himself.

He could feel his heart racing like it was trying to get as many pumps as possible in before his death ceased all that shit. 

The dragon backed off, studying the damage to Percy’s leg, as the other dragon they’d been assigned here for, a fox dragon, appeared. A beautiful flame type dragon, with scales a thousand shades of red, and a deep black underbelly. 

She, this one was female, Percy could tell by the shape of her head, regarded Percy and the black beast. Being of a different species than the indigo dragon, she was a little smaller with claws of a coppery brown color. 

She sniffed Percy with hot breath, hot breath akin to the massive dragon still standing over Percy. She continued this as the black beast moved to give her access, moving to stand next to Percy. He was practically shitting himself. 

She reached his very messed up leg, which Percy was starting to really feel, and would probably have to be amputated, which, Percy knew, they had the equipment for.

The dragon studied Percy’s damaged leg. She used her head to touch it, and Percy let out an involuntary hiss of pain. She stopped and looked at her companion.

He held up his tail. 

She looked at Percy. Her expression said, “ _ Did you do this? _ ”

Percy nodded. 

She looked back at his leg, and then nipped at her companion. They both backed off.

The whole thing had taken maybe five minutes, and Annabeth crashed through the underbrush with a med kit, and it occurred to him that getting home was gonna  _ suck ass. _

“Annabeth,” Percy said as she went for her gun, “I think I’m being given a pass. If you fail to lethally shoot either of these dragons within the first shot, we’re both dead. Besides, you and I both know  _ damn well  _ you don’t want to kill a dragon.”

She nodded and began dressing the wound. Percy again found himself thinking about age. 

There were two humans and two dragons in this clearing, and they were all about fifteen years old. 

A girl that would be considered a kid, far too young to be on an island  _ alone with a boy _ without any kind of supervision, was dressing his wound. In any other country, this would be  _ horrific _ , a girl who still had acne on her face and a boy who hadn’t yet quite grown into his hands, feet, and head were expected to kill monsters. 

They got home and Percy wound up having Annabeth amputate part of his right leg, starting below the knee, knowing that it wasn’t worth dealing with the nerve damage and pain, especially if he wanted to be able to function out here.

So Percy rested and healed. He built a functioning prosthetic. He began bringing that dragon fish. The dragon began bringing him odd sticks, leaves, rocks, and bugs. Percy worked with Riptide on the beach. 

And he and Annabeth planned out how they’d get the  _ fuck _ out of Dodge. 

On top of neither Percy nor Annabeth being willing to kill a dragon, as it turned out, they’d both noticed that creatures that could get off the island,  _ did.  _

Birds left, dragon eggs stopped appearing, anything that could swim away had, leaving Percy, Annabeth, Mrs. O’leary, the two dragons (which they’d begun calling Blackjack and Rhaenys, because they needed names,  _ dammit. _ Annabeth had named hers after some character that Percy didn’t happen to know.), and any animal that could neither fly nor swim. 

Blackjack appeared one day out of the blue with a fish that he dropped at Percy’s feet. He then looked up at the volcano at the other end of the island, at Percy’s leg, and then at his own tail. A clear, “ _ Can you fix me so I can leave? _ ”

Percy glanced at the volcano and frowned. 

A couple of times, Rhaenys and Blackjack had given Percy and Annabeth rides (never appearing at the house or forges, though), clearly play, and it had happened enough times that they’d made saddles so as to comfortably ride the dragon. The rides had only increased after that, and Percy, upon seeing the longing in Blackjack’s face when Rhaenys had flown with Annabeth had been working on a replacement fin to help Blackjack fly and swim like he wanted. He was glad in that moment that it was finished.

Percy retrieved it, and fastened it to his dragon (when had he started to think of him as his dragon? Not in the sense of as a pet, either, but as the one of the two dragons he was closest to.) and encouraged him to test it. Blackjack did and promptly began nudging at his saddle. 

“Gear up?” Percy didn’t really need to ask. 

Blackjack glanced at the volcano again. 

Percy packed up clothes, gear, and his dog and climbed on Blackjack. 

They caught up to Annabeth and Rhaenys, Annabeth looking  _ very _ confused as to why Rhaenys was taking her so far away from the island. 

“Hey,” called Percy, mostly to let Annabeth know he was there. 

“Hey,” she glanced over at him, frowned in confusion, and glanced at Blackjack’s tail, which had Percy’s fin. “ _ Damn, Jackson _ , did you do that?” 

“Yeah, I started the project before everything started leaving,” he said, “I wanted to test it before we left, but Blackjack was  _ really _ spooked. I’m no geologist, but I’d say shit’s gonna go down on that island, and that it was  _ high time _ we blew that popsicle stand, test runs be damned.” 

“Rhaenys seemed to have the same opinion.” She frowned. “I’ll bet money that that mountain is gonna pull the same trick as a bottle of Diet Coke when you drop a pack of Mentos in.” 

“I agree.” 

Within several hours, Percy’s ass was numb, and he was no longer enjoying the ride. Rhaenys looked like she could go a little while longer, but Blackjack was already starting to sink to an uncomfortably low altitude. 

Percy spotted his backyard, with his younger adopted brother, Nico, and his soon-to-be younger step-sister, Khory, moving towards the shed with a bucket, watching the windows. 

Hiding something. 

“Blackjack,” Percy said quietly, “land there.” 

Blackjack followed instructions with Rhaenys following suit, which startled awake both Annabeth and Mrs. O’leary. 

Something small and black darted out of the shed as Nico and Khory stared at the huge descending beast. 

They landed and Annabeth glanced around, asking, “Why are we stopping?” 

“He needed to, and I didn’t want to push him too hard.” Percy slid off Blackjack to hunt down the thing from the shed. “He lost stamina.” 

Percy caught and picked up the disgruntled hydra dragon cub and handed it to Nico, who said, “Please don’t tell Mama, I’m  _ going _ to find a better place for her, I promise.”

“You're gonna keep it and you know it. You’d fucking better tell Mama.” 

Annabeth snickered. “You brought us home, didn’t you,  _ jackass _ .”

“Yeah, and?” Percy grinned. “This is my brother and sister, Nico and Khory.” 

Nico ran his hand through his hair and Khory shifted uncomfortably in her wheelchair, clearly fearing what Percy would do now that they’d been caught.

A woman came barreling out of the house with a large sword and shield, calling out a battle cry. 

Percy was suddenly very glad that between that this was a small farm with woods surrounding it, instead of above the bakery where Percy, his mom, and his brothers used to live. Life would’ve gotten  _ very _ complicated right then, otherwise.

“MAMA,” Percy yelled to get her attention, “YOU NEED TO DROP THAT, YOU ARE SCARING THEM!” 

She stopped in her tracks and started waving her arms around in pure motherly exasperation, “OH, I’M SCARING THE _FUCKING DRAGONS_ IN MY _FUCKING_ BACK YARD?! WHAT IN THE _LIVING FUCK_ ARE YOU THINKING, PERSEUS FUCKING JACKSON?!”  
“ _YES_ , YOU ARE _SCARING THE FUCKING DRAGONS!_ ” Percy shouted in response. “NOW WOULD YOU _PLEASE_ PUT THE DAMN SWORD DOWN?!”

“ _ Nico _ ,” Percy’s mom said in an icy sort of calm, “would you please explain to your brother that  _ no _ , I  _ should not _ put the sword down? Somehow, he made it through training  _ without  _ figuring that out.”

Blackjack and Rhaenys began curling around Percy, Annabeth, and Mrs. O’leary, attempting to shield them. 

Marcia came out of the house and studied the situation, asking, “ _ Why _ are we all yelling, Sally?” 

Pointing with the sword, Sally said, “There are  _ two dragons _ in the backyard.” 

Blackjack growled lowly, which resulted in Percy running his hand over his back, murmuring, “Easy, boy. Let up.” 

“To be  _ entirely fair _ to Percy,” Nico said louder, “I have a hydra cub on my shoulder right now.” 

“How long have you had that dragon, Nico?” Marcia’s attention was entirely on him now.

“Two months,” admitted Khory in response. “We tried to let her go but she liked the shed and we didn’t have the heart to haul her away.” 

“I know,  _ right _ ?” Percy responded, trying to add a tone of voice into the mix that wasn’t negative, so the dragons would relax.. “It’s the big eyes. And the genuine playfulness.”

Blackjack and Rhaenys were still entirely tensed up, and Annabeth had started trying to calm her dragon down. 

Percy’s mom’s head swung back and forth between Percy and company, and Nico and company. She set the sword and shield down on a lawn chair and walked away from them. Rhaenys and Blackjack began to relax by a great deal, uncurling themselves. Percy leaned against Blackjack, mostly so that he’d feel his presence and understand that Percy was there and on his side. Partially to be intentionally within striking distance so his mom could see that he wasn’t in any danger. Blackjack lied down, and seemingly settled into sleep (though Percy knew he was playing dead). Percy sat down crosslegged, still leaning against him.

Sally started towards them, saying, “ _ Sweet Jesus _ , Percy, now I  _ know _ you’re just messing with me. Did you steal a mechanical one?” 

She was almost within striking distance (well, really she  _ was _ within striking distance, but not close enough that Blackjack would take her behavior as threatening without a weapon drawn) when Percy stuck his hand up and said, “That’s  _ not _ a sleeping dragon. He’s playing dead. He’s hoping you’ll think that you’re big and bad enough that he died of fear. Get any closer and he  _ will  _ strike.”

“Why is he letting you get close, then,” she responded in a slightly smug, but overall exasperated tone. 

“He didn’t the day I learned that the hard way. But now he thinks he’s protecting me,” Percy responded calmly. “Samed deal with Rhaenys standing like that in front of Annabeth and Mrs. O’leary.” 

“And you, Nico, Khory?” Percy’s mom had adopted that overly calm quality to it again. “What does your dragon think?” She paused and swung her head back towards Percy. “And what do you mean by  _ ‘learned the hard way’ _ ?”

“He might think he’s all big and bad,” said Khory, “or he could just be watching the crazy humans and the weird new dragons do all their posturing.”

Percy sighed and stood up. He ran his hands all along his dragon’s body, with Blackjack turning to look at him. 

“Hey, Blackjack,” Percy said calmly, “can you show her your tail for me?” 

He gave Percy an “ _ are you nuts? _ ” look but did as instructed. She stepped closer and Blackjack bared his teeth. 

“Dude,” Percy said, “ _ chill. _ Let her pass.”

He gave a huff but did so.

She saw his fin and looked at Percy, now baffled, as Rhaenys and Marcia slipped closer.

“That’s fake,” she said calmly.

“Yeah,” Percy agreed, “I shot the real one off.” He moved away from the tail and the dragon all together. “When I went to recover the body, I got  _ much _ too close to the mouth, bad move on my part, and he struck me.” Percy explained this carefully moving his protective mother away from the thing she saw as a monster. “The nerve damage was bad enough that Annabeth over there amputated my right leg below the knee, and I rebuilt it.” 

“And you  _ trust _ the dragon,” his mom said incredulously. 

“And the dragon trusts me,” Percy agreed.

“Fine. I’m not very inclined to trust that dragon, but you aren’t stupid and I know that. I’m going to extend, for the moment, that trust to that dragon over there.” She turned to Nico and Khory. “And I am even less inclined to trust that dragon there but we can discuss all dragon related topics in the morning. Find a spot for your dragons and friend to sleep, Percy.” 

Percy and company chose to sleep in the family barn. Annabeth had told him that he could go inside and he told her that he didn’t want to leave them all to sleep outside (or, he guessed, not inside) while he did, because that would make him an ass. So they all piled on top of eachother in the loft and curled up and went to sleep. 

They were awoken the next morning with a bucket of ice water. 

Percy swiped the water out of his eyes saying, “Jeez, Nico, hey.”

Annabeth added a groggy, “Huh?” to the mix as the dragons huffed in annoyance.

“Sorry, not sorry, Perce.” Nico’s voice was all too cheerful. Percy flipped him off as he continued with, “Mama’s got food for us and the incredibly deadly reptiles.”

“If that was a Lemony Snicket reference,” Percy said flatly, “I’m gonna _ feed _ you to the damn dragons.”

Sally grinned at the three of them (them having left the two dragons in the barn, and Nico’s and Khory’s cub in the shed), two of them soaking and one of them dry and holding a bucket. 

Percy, having grabbed the hairbrush he’d taken off the island for himself ( _ yes, he’d grabbed Annabeth’s too _ ), had begun brushing out his long black hair as he walked. 

“ _ Alright _ ,” Marcia said, “Sal and I picked up some meat and fish for you to give the dragons once we’ve eaten. Then we figured we’d be able to work out what the four of you intend to do with them so that none of us here get arrested.” 

“Percy and I were initially figuring we’d pack up Rhaenys and Blackjack, if not the hydra as well, and find somewhere good to set them, close enough for Percy to make regular trips to monitor that tail, and frankly, close enough that getting there, isn’t unreasonable, because we’ve both come to consider those dragons as friends and companions?” Annabeth stated. 

“Fucking hell, Chase, did you say that all in one breath,” Percy responded. She kicked him, and he pretended not to notice, turning towards Marcia and his mom and saying, “Yeah, that’s something that was discussed. Admittedly, ending up here was an accident. We didn’t want to show up near family out of fear of making someone we care about an accessory to this.” 

Marcia and his mom nodded, as did Nico and Khory, everyone finding this to be an acceptable plan of action, albeit a vague one. 

They ate breakfast, fed the incredibly deadly reptiles, and cleaned up, and began looking at maps, looking for both islands and simply rural mainland. Well-stocked areas in terms of things to hunt, lakes and rivers to fish in, forests. 

They wanted something that would be annoying, or downright risky to travel day to day. Somewhere not worth sending hunters to because of how much of a hassle making that land good for all humans, elderly, small children, and the untrained, would be. 

It  _ wasn’t _ easy, not when Percy hauled out his map of where hunters were stationed to throw that into the pot. 

Rhaenys and Blackjack were formidable dragons, but, like most dragons, it seemed, were hesitant to truly kill. Do damage? Yes, Percy’s leg was proof of that. Kill, however, seemed to be a  _ no.  _

The same could not be said for most hunters, as the majority were young kids doing what they were told so as not to face the consequence of not doing so. Few of them seemed to hold genuine bloodlust for the dragons, they were too smart for that, but Percy had heard stories about what would be done to standard hunters. 

The gist of it was this: there were no good places to put the dragons. 

They had migrated inside, and a knock rang out on the door.

Percy opened his door to his teacher, Chiron (nickname, his actual name was Otis Brunner), with a, “Yeah?” 

He blinked. “ _ Percy? _ ”

“No shit.” 

“But the island you were stationed on…” the man looked absolutely baffled.   
“All do respect, sir, but Annabeth and I were stationed there on basis of intelligence and skill.”

“That’s true.” He pondered this. “What of the dragons you were sent to kill.” 

Percy shrugged and went with the version of the story he’d previously crafted. “I shot the blue lipped indigo out of the sky a couple days in. I didn’t manage to kill it and it tore up my leg. I had to have Annabeth amputate below the knee.”

Chiron nodded and pondered this, and after a beat of waiting for more, asked, “And then?”

Percy shrugged. “Annabeth took Mrs. O’leary hunting some while I was healing, but nothing aside from some deer and other not-the-assignment things came from it,” mostly because they hadn’t  _ wanted _ anything other than that to come from it, but Percy didn’t share that thought. 

“Look, Percy,” Chiron said flatly after waiting for Percy to continue talking and poke holes in his own story (which he couldn’t really do, because he hadn’t yet lied), “I have a hard time believing that two hunters, one of which being a handler, at that, would simply not be able to capture two dragons. You were picked because of your superior tracking and hunting abilities.” 

Percy shrugged again. “They probably fucked right off like we did. Most of the other flying creatures did,” he frowned, thinking about how that might sound if Percy had already admitted to shooting it out of the sky, “though, I’d assume the one I shot down is dead somewhere on that island. I don’t think they can fly with that much of a tail fin missing.” 

Chiron stared. “You don’t seem to care all that much.”

Percy laughed, “ _ Shit,  _ man,” he said, casually, “I’m just happy I got my friend and my dog off that island in time.” 

Chiron sighed. “I like you, kid,” he pulled a gun out and put it to the center of Percy’s forehead. “I like you a lot. You’ve got the makings of a good man in you. We  _ saw _ the dragons leave with you two on their backs on the cameras of the drones we had monitoring your progress.” He pulled a sneer and continued, “Hell, kid, we watched you become friends with those  _ monsters _ .” He got in close. “ _ Where are they? _ ”

“If I’m a kid, then  _ why _ did you encourage me to be a hunter?” Percy asked. “Why do you have a gun on me?” Truth be told, Percy’s heart was pounding, but he would not tell that to this man. He was stalling. Looking for something with which to distract the man.

“Because,  _ kid _ ,” that kid was definitely an insult, though it was true, “no one else will take the job.” He grinned again. “We sneak that little law in, make you kill those _ fucking abiominations _ for us, and you kids can’t do anything about it.”

“Yes we can,” Percy corrected, as Blackjack set down soundlessly behind Chiron, “Oh, yes, Otis Brunner, we can.” Percy grinned with teeth as Blackjack prepared to strike, “ _ Who can stop us when we befriend the monsters? _ ”

Blackjack crushed the man’s skull between his two front feet.

He began working on body disposal, Percy did. Percy didn’t want to feed it to the dragons, as he felt that feeding them that would be disrespectful to them. 

He went inside and grabbed a bigass tarp, calling out, “Annabeth, can you pack up and saddle the dragons? We need to work on leaving.” 

He got outside, sent Blackjack around to the back of the house, and wrapped up the body so he wouldn’t drip blood everywhere. 

He went out to the barn, and grabbed a pretty big knife and started to go back inside. 

“Percy?” Annabeth asked, confused, “Why do we need to pack up now?”

“You remember Chiron?” 

“Yeah?” She sounded no less confused.

“Well he showed up, spouted some shit about us getting forced to hunt dragons because we’re kids, and we can’t rise up and do anything about it.” Percy looked over at her to see her disgusted face. “He held a gun to my head, and demanded to know where Blackjack and Rhaenys were, which means they know about them, and Blackjack crushed his skull. So, now I have a body to dismember.” He said all of this surprisingly calm for a dude who couldn’t even kill a dragon. 

But, unlike that day with Blackjack, Percy believed that this man had it coming. 

Annabeth finally said, “Alright, yeah, make sure to drain the blood. This happened on the front porch?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get some bleach and a pressure washer from your mom.” 

Percy snapped her a salute.

Percy found the bleach and the pressure washer for Annabeth, and grabbed her the pressure washer and them both a bottle of bleach. He hacked the body up, drained the blood, packed it all up (the body went in the cooler, the tarp and clothes went in a separate tote bag that he was going to burn with the tarp), poured bleach down the bathtub, and cleaned his mother’s bathroom floor, 

His mother found him having finished cleaning up after himself. “Why do you have a cooler in the bathroom?” his mother asked, “And why did your friend pressure wash my porch?” 

“Clean up.” Percy said calmly, he pointed at the cooler. “I just hacked a dude up and put him in that, after my dragon killed him, after he held a gun to my head.” 

“ _ Are you joking? _ ”

“I am not,” he assured her. “Would you like to check the cooler? There’s no head, Blackjack pretty much destroyed it.”

She checked the cooler and squawked. She looked over at him. 

Percy nodded and grabbed his stuff, saying, “I’m going to take this. Then I’m going to find various places to hide the body parts.” 

They went downstairs and Percy affixed the cooler to Blackjack’s saddle, his mom still visibly spooked when she turned into the kitchen, likely to begin making cookies or something of the like. 

No words passed between mother and son, he wasn’t quite sure what would appropriately fill that silence. His mother was starting to realize that he was no longer a child, despite acne and still not having fully grown into his body. Despite his voice still cracking. Whatever he was, and he wasn’t sure he could truly call himself a man, he was capable of hacking up someone’s body, and putting him in a cooler, then washing the blood off his hands.

Perseus Alexandrius Jackson may not have been able to kill a dragon, but he was, as it turned out, capable of killing a human. That was a  _ bone-chilling  _ thing to realize about yourself. 

Percy knew this, because he knew that if Blackjack hadn’t killed Chiron, Percy  _ would’ve _ , if only because of that  _ smugness. _ That horrible  _ grin.  _

Percy checked Blackjack’s saddle, knowing Annabeth had done it right, but needing to think of something else. He walked the dragon out and saw Nico having what looked to be an argument with his mom, and Marcia. Khory and Tyson (who must have come over some time while Percy was checking Blackjack’s saddle, as he and Beckendorf lived over the shop), were there too, but seemingly taking Nico’s side. Annabeth just looked uncomfortable.

“ _ Look, _ ” Nico was saying, “Khory can’t, she’s said so herself. I can and should. You saw how she reacted when Annabeth tried to put her on that saddle.”

“Yeah,” Khory agreed, “she’ll probably calm down when not everyone around him is a complete stranger.”

“Sorry, Ma,” Tyson said, “but I third the notion. All three of your boys are dragon lovers as it turns out, and I know enough about hydra cubs to know that she’ll be  _ far _ less distressed if she makes the trip with a friend.”

“Beth,” Percy said, “catch me up?” 

“Nico wants to join us on basis of he wants the cub to have at least one non-stranger on the trip.” Annabeth to a breath, considering her words. “It is, admittedly, a good idea, especially since, based off your stories, and what interaction I’ve had with Nico himself, he’s both fairly good in combat situations and in situations involving camping,” she said finally. “ _ However _ , I’m not inclined to make myself a presence in a family argument.”

Percy thought for a minute. “Given that this is my family, and directly affects me, I am inclined to do so. Nico should come, he’s right.” 

“No, no,  _ no _ ,” Sally said, standing up. “I am not inclined to let my son become a fucking felon.” She made a sweeping gesture. “I am very sure that there are several illegal things happening here right now, and I refuse to condone any of it, dammit. I have put up with  _ enough _ .” 

“We are well past the felony point, Ma,” Percy said calmly. “We have three dragons and a dismembered body, and are now actively running. Anytime I can save by not  _ arguing _ with a  _ dragon cub _ , especially when that lack of argument involves a  _ skilled and intelligent person, _ which is  _ one more person _ to help me win a fight,  _ one more person _ to take night watch,  _ one more person _ to gather supplies, and  _ one more person _ to help with first aid, is time well saved. I am on Nico’s side, Nico should come.” 

“HE’S A  _ CHILD _ !” Marcia screeched in a very un-Marcia-like manner, “YOU  _ ARE _ ALL CHILDREN! IF YOU WANT MY OPINION, YOU SHOULD HAND THOSE  _ MONSTERS _ IN AND MOVE ON!” 

“I AM NOT A  _ CHILD _ !” Percy yelled back. “I SHOULD BE, AND I KNOW THAT, BUT THEY  _ TRAINED  _ ME FOR  _ BATTLE _ ,  _ SHIPPED _ ME OFF, AND  _ LEFT _ ME FOR  _ DEAD! _ I  _ KNOW _ WHAT THEY  _ DO _ TO HUNTERS WHO CAN’T PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER! I  _ KNOW _ WHAT THEY  _ DO  _ TO DRAGONS WHO GET BROUGHT BACK ALIVE!” Percy took a deep breath and stopped yelling, letting his voice become very,  _ very _ , cold, “You can refuse to condone crime all you want, Ma, but I  _ refuse _ to let my friends be put through  _ hell. _ ” Percy turned to Nico and said, “If you wanna come, you’re coming, pack a bag, grab what you can carry and no more. I’ll do what I can to get any necessities that don’t make the cut.”

Nico nodded and scurried off, into the house. 

Percy looked at his mom, Marcia, Khory, Tyson, the dragons, Annabeth, and his home. He couldn’t help but to feel like he was setting his road back to this place on fire and drinking all the water. He was standing there, having poured gasoline on it, and now holding the lit match.

“I’m  _ sorry _ I have to do this, Mama,” Percy said, quietly. “You know me well enough to understand how much I’ll  _ hate _ myself if I don’t.” 

She didn’t respond. 

Blackjack leaned into him, attempting to comfort him.

Rhaenys and Annabeth looked over at him in concern.

The hydra cub sitting at the table regarded him calmly. 

Fifteen minutes and no more words were shared. 

Fifteen minutes, and no changed minds. 

Percy moved Mrs. O’leary’s saddle attachment over to Rhaenys’s saddle. Percy rechecked Blackjack, ensuring that he had enough room for two people (He knew he did, he’d designed the like that on purpose, knowing he was going to fix the tail, and that he might wind up with use for that. Annabeth had designed her saddle the same way. They’d also both ensured that each of their one two seater saddles could become two one seater saddles. ). 

Nico marched out of the house, picking up the hydra cub on his way over to where Percy was standing. 

Fifteen minutes of silence. 

And then Percy  _ threw the match _ and set his road home on  _ fire.  _

Percy watched the figurative blaze as the dragons picked up speed.

Tears were running down his face and all he wanted to do was scream and he realized he  _ could.  _

He did. He let out the loudest yell he could, a yell of  _ anguish. _ A yell for his childhood, his mother, and his home. A yell for him for having had to  _ make that choice _ . A yell for the fact that he’d finally found something that he and his mother could _ neither agree nor compromise  _ on. A yell of  _ hate and rage  _ that had been building up from the moment he left for training. A yell of  _ sadness _ for what he had to give up for the sake of not being someone he would consider  _ evil _ . And a yell of  _ fear, _ for he did not know what the future could  _ possibly  _ hold for him.

He broke down into shaking sobs, and finally quieted. 

He turned to see Nico crying, too, with the hydra around his shoulders (she could fly, even at that age, so Nico had no reason to try to get him to sit secured to the saddle like he and Percy were). The little dragon was trying to comfort him. 

It was a  _ long _ time before anyone said anything. The next thing out of anyone’s mouth (that was speech) was Annabeth saying, “There’s a hydra in front of and slightly to the left of us.”

They hydra, an adult male about twenty feet long, came over, and made a noise at Blackjack and Rhaenys. He was patterned like an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, but with more red tones. 

Blackjack made a responding noise. 

The big hydra made the same noise at Percy. 

Rhaenys opened her mouth at Percy in the way she usually did when asking for food and then nodded at the big dragon. 

Percy reached into the cooler in front of him and pulled out a hand. 

Big Hydra opened his middle mouth.

Percy decided to give up on the not-feeding-the-dead-guy-to-the-dragons thing and tossed him the hand and then a few more body parts before closing the cooler.

He made a happy, contented noise, shifted one of his heads and let out a low _ growl,  _ looking over at Percy’s general direction.

Nico’s hydra cub scrambled over Percy’s shoulder and settled on Blackjack’s head, wagging all three heads back and forth. 

Big Hydra picked her up with his right head and set her down on his middle neck. 

She made a noise, and Big Hydra sniffed at Percy, Nico, and Blackjack, then, with prompting from the little hydra, Mrs. O’leary, Annabeth, and Rhaenys.

He then attempted to pick Nico up out of his saddle. 

“ _ Uh, Percy? _ ” Nico sounded a little worried, “should I let the dragon pick me up?” 

Percy glanced around and realized that they were in one of their temporary safe-zone areas, as they’d mapped out, before Percy’s mother had realized that this wasn’t anywhere  _ near _ over. 

“We should land, rest up and feed up, and then rearrange ourselves,” Annabeth said. She urged Rhaenys to descend and she did, after making a noise at Big Hydra. 

The noise evidently meant, “Let’s go down,” as Big Hydra did descend with them.

They all got off and Percy detached Nico’s part of the saddle and walked over to Big Hydra. 

He looked at Blackjack and made a, “ _ Huh? _ ” noise, and Blackjack took the saddle from Percy and put it on the other dragon’s back.

Percy wasn’t quite sure why, but it took that action to make him realize that Big Hydra  _ knew _ Blackjack and Rhaenys. They were  _ friends _ . Big Hydra was likely one of the other documented dragons from the island.

Blackjack evidently having vouched for Percy, Percy was able to properly saddle the dragon as Nico got food from Annabeth. He regretted that he hadn’t done it with Nico watching, but there would be a next time. 

He then readjusted Blackjack so the distribution of weight didn’t wind up weird for him, and moved the cooler to behind where Percy would sit, refastening it and ensuring it would be secure.

He got the parts of a sandwich from Annabeth and built and ate the sandwich, washing it down with a Coke. 

As he was doing this, he watched Big Hydra inspect Blackjack and Rhaenys. He got to Blackjack’s tail and he made a noise. He pointed with his nose towards Percy. Percy rolled up his right pantleg and pointed at his leg. Blackjack made a noise Percy could  _ swear _ to be  _ laughter. _

Percy fed his incredibly deadly reptiles, Big Hydra (who was going to need a name) excluded, and set about burning the tarp that he’d dismembered Chiron on, along with his clothes and the plastic bag and tote bag in which he’d carried them, having Rhaenys light the fire.

Once he was satisfied that there was nothing identifiable left in the fire, he had Blackjack put the fire out. 

When they had left that camp, Percy had begun thinking of two unrelated things, one of them being that he and Annabeth were going to have to get their team tattoos covered faster than they’d initially planned on, and the other being that Percy was legitimately doing this. All of this. A man, an evil man, was dead and Percy was hiding the evidence. Percy had left his home and family for this. This was an all or nothing thing, evidently, and Percy had chosen all. 

_ Had _ it really been  _ nearly a yea _ r since Percy had been the fifteen year old kid pretending that if he closed his eyes for long enough, none of the training would happen?

_ What would that Percy think person he’d become? Would he call himself a monster or a hero?  _

Percy sighed. 

“Hey, Annabeth, we need to get our team tats covered here pretty soon,” he called so as to take his mind off the things he couldn’t (and wasn’t sure he wanted to) change. “Those are documented.” 

Annabeth hummed in agreement before thinking. Finally, she said, “I know a girl near here, she’s in an area taken over by a group against dragon hunting and has piercing and tattoo equipment.” 

“Downsides?” asked Nico.

“They only know me,” she said. “They’ll let the dragons pass, but they might give you boys a run for your money. They’re a group called the Hunters of Artemis, and they  _ aren’t  _ nice. I don’t actually like many of them, but Thalia’s cool. So are Rachel and Reyna.”

“Hunters of Artemis? Because Artemis was a goddess of nature, right?”

“Yeah, they hunt those who would over hunt, such as dragon hunters, and firmly believe dragons are an important part of the ecosystem.”

Neither Percy nor Nico disagreed. 

They arrived, not too long after, at a decent sized cabin. 

They stopped and dismounted and a woman with pale skin, several tattoos, several piercings, and dyed black hair came out of the cabin with a shotgun.

She leveled the gun at Percy’s chest and raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. “Rat me out?” she asked. She wasn’t kidding.

“ _ Ah, no _ ,” Annabeth responded, with her hand on Blackjack, trying to get him to stop growling. “You may want to point that gun somewhere else. This dragon is, really him and the red one, but especially this one, is very protective of Percy, here.”

The woman stopped pointing the gun at anyone, and the tension dropped a great deal. 

“Thalia, this is Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo-Jackson. Percy and I are in need of a cover up tattoo,” Annabeth explained. “We wound up going through the training course, got an assignment and promptly befriended the dragons we’d been told to kill.” 

“What about your friend’s leg,” she asked, “that  _ looks _ like something made on an assignment trip.” 

Annabeth looked at Percy, prompting him to speak so he said, “I shot down Blackjack back here, and fucked up his right tail fin. He fell out of the sky and since he wasn’t able to close it, most of it got ripped off,” Percy said. “When me and my dog went to find him, he shredded my lower right leg so bad that I needed Annabeth to amputate it. Then we began to bring eachother fish and neat things and gained a mutual respect and trust for one another.” 

“ _ Why _ would you  _ let him _ shoot the dragon if you are no longer a dragon hunter,  _ Annabeth? _ ” the woman asked, not becoming any less suspicious. 

“It was our job,” Annabeth responded flatly. “We were fifteen and scared. We were on an island and without any kind of adult for the first time. It has been almost a half year since that day, and I have long since re-understood that dragons are not monsters, but rather, intelligent animals worthy of genuine respect. Percy has also brought himself to re-understand this, which is why we are here. We want our team tattoos to be covered and turned into something that does not represent the evil practice of dragon hunting.” 

“And the other young man?” the woman asked, starting to sound like she believed her.

“Was never a hunter,” Nico said calmly. “I’m a year too young to say I’ve been fed the lies of those who would have me be one.” 

She led them, first to a dragon stable, explaining that the stables were usually a rehabilitation center, save for a couple dragons who’d never be able to live wild again, but she was figuring that if those dragons trusted them enough to let them on their backs, they probably would wind up being non-wild by choice. Percy agreed, thinking about the fact that Blackjack had put the saddle on the big hydra, who Nico had begun calling Cerberus. 

He’d also begun calling the dragon cub Medusa.

She then led them into what was, as it turned out, a tattoo parlor. She explained that they usually did tattoos on the Hunters of Artemis, but any ex-dragon hunter seeking to cover up a tattoo representing dragon hunting would be given one for a lowered-by-a-great-deal price, given that the ink and equipment used was magic. Easy to make, easy to use, fast-healing, and never-fading.

In the end, two detailed coverups cost them about _ three hundred dollars _ total, along with agreeing to clean the tattoo shop for the next two months and help care for the dragons they got in and ensure that ones that wanted to could go back to their old lives. Percy had a skull with a trident made out of sapphires embedded in the forehead. Annabeth had a piece depicting the clash between Athena and Poseidon, with a trident on one end and Athena’s Aegis on the other, and horses made from waves and nets charging owls made from papers and spears. 

They actually wound up staying permanently, making this their new home. It made sense, there was reliable food and protection, enough space for Mrs. O’leary and dragon riding, and a forge in which Percy could help Nico make his own saddle, one better suited for Cerberus, and make some readjustments to Blackjack’s tail, and his own leg. 

They moved into a small house together, Percy found varying spots to bury and burn what was left of Chiron, occasionally tossing a part or two at a persistent dragon. 

Percy became well known for his abilities with a sword, as did Annabeth with her dagger and Nico with his bident. 

All was good.

Except for  _ one thing _ . Something about the way on of the HoA’s set off Mrs. O’leary and had Percy’s hackles raised. She always seemed a little…  _ off. _ Percy’s small flock (and three or more was considered a flock, and a couple more dragons, namely Thalia’s friend, the friend of a girl named Hazel who’d arrived after training started, the friend of a girl named Rachel, and the friends of a girl named Reyna) of dragons also agreed, as well as Annabeth, doing what they could to avoid her. 

Nico didn’t see it, but he did stay away, partially because he didn’t like her, and partially because Percy, Annabeth, Mrs. O’leary, and the dragons all did not trust her. 

_ Her name was Kelli Corban.  _

“Whassup?” asked one of the HoA’s, a girl Percy had become close to in the eight months he’d lived there. Her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and she had befriended a North Olympian blackwing dragon, which were actually well known for having incredibly bright blue and yellow scales all over their bodies, saver for the black wings, claws, eyes, and all the mouth parts (teeth, tongues, gums, etc.). She had taken to calling him Apollo (“ _ Because a regal animal needs a regal name, and Apollo has ties to reptiles, Percy _ .”) 

“Nothing much,” Percy responded lightly. “How are you, Red?” 

“Pretty good,” she said cheerfully. Considering that Rachel didn’t just do smalltalk, he was waiting for her to tell him what she was thinking about, which she did happily, saying, “We’ve got some new members. Two, a kid named Piper McLean and a guy named Leo Valdez.”

“Oh, I know those kids,” Percy said cheerfully. “I grew up with them, they always planned on teaming up together when the time came so they could both bolt as soon as training was up.” 

“ _ Damn you, _ ” she said, trying not to laugh, “I was going to tell you that they’re really cool, and that I’m excited that we’ve been getting more teens who care and less adults who are just trigger happy.” 

“ _ To be fair _ ,” Percy said, grinning, “Piper’s got a mean streak. They're pretty cool, but when you’ve pushed them past they're limit, you’d better watch out. But, yeah, I get ya. It’s good to have people who genuinely want to help involved.” 

“Leo and Piper brought in a cub that had made her way into a city area, and released her here,” Rachel told him. “It’s always a good day when that happens.”

As was true for other animals, different dragons had different natural habitats, so Percy knew Thalia had cleared that releasing, which tracked, as when it came to dragons like foxes or blue-lipped indigos or hydras or blackwings, those were actually relatively common on this continent and also relatively widespread. 

“How’s Apollo recovering from his decision to fight a pack of wolves?” Percy asked. Blackwings were among the few kinds of dragons that didn’t have some sort of venom or magic breath, so a fight between one and what was actually not a pack of wolves, just two or three, was actually pretty even. 

“Oh, he’s still grumpy.” Rachel grinned. “I can’t say I pity him too much, he was the instigator.” 

They went to meet Leo and Piper.


End file.
